


Aftermath

by Jedi9



Series: Shiara [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Sex, Lesbian Sex, Mild Language, On Hiatus, Sequel, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-16 00:22:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13624599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jedi9/pseuds/Jedi9
Summary: The Reapers are extinct, Shepard is left for dead, and the rest of the Normandy crew is scattered across the Milky Way.This is a sequel to Mass Effect 3.





	1. Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> This story is happening right at the end of Mass Effect 3. I hope you enjoy :)

She was alive, of that she was sure. She was floating in the darkness, but she wasn't entirely unconscious. Fragments of images flashed in her confused mind, memories of her past overwelled her and she felt like she would drown in them. Too many things came back to her, too many thoughts, too many feelings, and smells.

“Shepard! I’m yours!” echoed a female voice in her mind.

Shepard? Was that her name, her identity, who she was? She tried to move closer to the voice, wanting to know more about its beautiful and calming tone. _Who was that,_ she thought. A form unlike any other she had ever seen, materialized in front of her, filling the darkness around her with its presence.

“Shepard!” the alien said in a melodious voice.

Shepard was trying to remember the name of the blue alien that stood before her, but her brain was too damaged and shattered to do anything more than gape at the woman.

The alien walked calmly toward her, her hands gently stroke the line of her bruised jaw as she closed the gap between them. Shepard’s eyes were watering as the woman looked at her with sadness in her eyes.

“What did they do to you?” Tears ran on the alien’s face, making her eyes gleam.

Deep down within the confines of her mind, Shepard knew who this woman was. Maybe if she asked the alien for her name, she would remember her?

“Who…Who are you?” she asked. Her voice was cracked and dry and sounded awful.

“You don’t remember me?” asked the alien. She was visibly hurt that Shepard couldn’t remember her.

She took the human by the hand and began walking, leading Shepard inside the darkness. It troubled Shepard that the alien seemed to know where she was going. A door appeared out of nowhere, and the alien motioned for her to open it.

“Where is it leading to?” she asked, not sure that she trusted her knew friend enough to run in blindly into the unknown.

“It will lead you to your memories, my love.”

My love? So they were more than mere acquaintance. _Why can’t I remember anything?_ Shepard needed to know why she was here, why her whole body was in pain and, most of all, she wanted to remember her lover. She felt her heart beating faster in her chest as she opened the door, her hands sweating as she stepped into the blinding light at the other side.

Her head spun and ached as everything came back to her all at once, the memories of the Reapers, the feeling of Liara’s lips on hers, the taste of blood as the Reaper laser beam stroke her, shredding her N7 armor into pieces.

Shepard recalled shooting the Illusive Man in the guts, a stunned look in his eyes as he died. She saw Anderson, his bloodied corpse lying next to her as he slowly succumbed to his injuries. The memory of her lost friend filled her with sadness and caused tears to slide down her face. Anderson had been more than a mentor to her, he was her friend, she had his trust, and she had let him down.

Finally, she saw herself destroy the Citadel, taking the Reapers along with it. She recalled feeling a terrible pain as a chunk of debris pinned her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her. She was lying there, in agony and incapable of moving, her back broken and her left leg severed in half. Blood was rapidly leaking from all the cuts on her body, making her light-headed and sleepy.

She remembered experimenting the most powerful feeling of fear and distress as her brain realized that death was taking her.

The last thought Shepard ever had was of Liara, of how sad and hurt the asari must be feeling. Liara was the strongest person Shepard had ever met, and she knew that her lover would move on with her life, that she would eventually make another person as happy as she had made her happy.

A bright light suddenly filled her surroundings and Shepard had to use the back of her hand to shield her eyes.

“C’mon we’re losing her!” said an unfamiliar voice.

Jane heard other unrecognizable voices talking together, their words intelligible through the sudden buzzing in her ears. Her heart felt like it would explode and she clasped her hands against her chest, not understanding what was happening to her. Pain overtook her body, and she began shaking violently, causing her to fall on her back, hitting her head hard. Everything suddenly stopped as all went black around her for the second time.

 

* * *

 

“C’mon we’re losing her!” shouted one of the medics as he ripped open what remained of Shepard’s armor. He pressed his hands to her bare chest and began massaging it as his assistant arrived next to him, a defibrillator in hands.

“Here doctor, it's already charged.”

He rapidly took the defibrillator, pressed it on Shepard’s chest, and unloaded the charged. The discharged caused Shepard’s body to crisp as electricity ran through her.

“No effects! Charge it to four hundred,” ordered the doctor.

The assistant recharged the unit, waited for it to reach the desired level and then notified the doctor. They repeated the same things four times before the bloody Commander’s heart began working correctly.

“Liara…Liara, I’m…Sorry,” Shepard mumbled, her eyes slowly opening before closing themselves shut again.

“Give her a sedative, we’re gonna let her sleep a little longer,” said the doc.

* * *

 

Jane’s eyes slowly and painfully opened, her vision unclear and unfocused, her head pounding with a headache. She felt dizzy and sick, and she wanted to puke whatever was left in her stomach.

Shepard wanted to speak, but her throat was too dry, and words never came. She felt a warm, reassuring touch on her shoulder before another hand slid a cold metallic tube into her mouth. When water ejected from the tube and into her throat, Shepard’s cracked lips began sucking on the small pipe, trying to force more fluid down her throat.

“Take it easy there,” said the nurse, pulling the device away from Shepard’s mouth.

“M…More,” Jane said. She felt extremely thirsty and wanted more water.

The nurse laid the tube on a tray and came back to Shepard’s side with a small towel in her hands. She passed the smooth cloth on the Commander’s mouth, wiping away the droplets of water from her lips and chin.

“Your stomach can’t handle more for now,” the nurse said gently.

Shepard decided to try to open her eyes again, she ignored the blinding light and forced her lids to remain open. The water had helped her feel a little better;  her headache a little less intense than earlier.

When she tried to sit upright, the nurse ran next to her, put both hands on her shoulders and slowly pushed her back on the bed. Jane noticed that the nurse was an asari, her pale blue skin made her think of Liara.

 _Liara! She must think I’m dead! She must be devastated!_ Shepard felt sad at the thought of her lover, wishing that she was there instead of the nurse. She wanted to be with her, to touch her hands and let her know she was still alive.

Jane’s vision begun to clear itself, allowing her to see her surroundings more clearly. She was lying on a hospital bed, to her right were other beds occupied by patients who were as much as in bad shape as her. A man whose arm had been shredded was screaming as the doctors rushed to his sides, needles in hands.

Shepard looked to her left and was surprised to see a face she recognized. The man, who had been reading something on his omni-tool, smiled at her and put a hand on hers. Jacob Taylor, a former Alliance soldier, and teammate of Shepard seemed glad to see her alive.

“Hey there Commander,” he said, gently squeezing her hand.

“Jacob? I thought you were dead!” she said, her voice small and broken.

“It will take more than a bunch of Reapers to take me down!” he said laughing.

He spent the next half hour answering Shepard’s questions as he recounted how he had survived his encounter with the Reapers, occasionally calling for a nurse to give Shepard water. Jane was impressed by his story; her eyes were wide as she listened to the heroic tale of Jacob Taylor.

“Well, it looks like you came out of there in better shape than I did,” she said once he finished his story.

“You’ll be alright Shepard. The doctors told me that they had to reconstruct your back. They also installed a prosthetic leg.”

Shepard’s gaze dropped to where her left leg had been; she gazed in horror at the high tech mechanical leg. To have it made her part machine, it made her feel less human, and that sickened her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked after seeing the horrified look in her eyes.

Shepard forced herself to look away, covering the leg with the bed’s sheet. She felt sick, her stomach threatening to empty the few content it had on the floor.

“I didn’t fight the Reapers just to become part machine, Jacob!” Jane answered him, her tone hard.

Taylor didn’t reply, and he seemed to understand how she was feeling about all this. A doctor arrived to her right and waited there. She looked at him; he was a Salarian, a little short for his kind and had well-defined muscles.

With Shepard’s permission, he used a large needle to take a blood sample and patched up the small wound with omni-gel. She didn’t know why he needed her blood and she didn’t ask, her mind too distracted by all that was going on in her life.

At least she was still alive, she told herself, she should be grateful for that. But she was also in severe pain, all the muscles and bones in her body hurt like hell, her skin felt like it was constantly on fire and her head was throbbing with pain.

“What happened to my crew, my ship?” she asked Jacob, trying to distract her mind from her sufferings.

Taylor opened his omni-tool once again, entered Normandy into the search bar and pressed on the crew folder. He read the files rapidly in his mind before turning back to Shepard.

“The Normandy transponder indicates that it is stationed on Illium, but the whereabouts of your crew is unknown,” he said. He dragged a file with his finger and opened it.

“It says that Liara went back to live in her apartments on the planet, but that’s all the Alliance knows about your team.”

Shepard was delighted to learn that Liara was still around but was troubled by the lack of information about the rest of her friends. She promised herself to find them all when she leaves the hospital.

 

* * *

 

“Sign here and here,” said the doctor Maxwell as he handed the release papers over to Shepard.

After she signed the papers, the doctor took her to a storage area. It was a vast room with lockers on the side and shelves in the middle. The place was cold and dark, the few lights overhead barely providing enough illumination to enlighten the room.

Maxwell led her to a locker with her name on it and opened it. Inside, Shepard found a pistol and the small necklace Liara had made for her. She took the jewelry and looked at it for a long time, remembering the pride she saw on the asari’s face when she had taken the necklace.

 _I can’t wait to see you again, Liara_ , she thought as she installed the necklace with the help of Maxwell. Her body had healed a lot in the past month, and the doctors had decided that it was time to release her from their care.

“We’ve managed to procure a shuttle for you Commander. Mister Taylor is waiting for you at the landing pad,” the doctor told her.

“Thank you, doc, for everything! If your search and rescue crew hadn’t found me, I’d be dead.”

Maxwell gave her a warm smile and shook he hand. He was worried about her mental health, Shepard knew, but he didn’t mention it as he watched the Commander leave the room.

 

When Jane arrived at the landing pad, she and Jacob presented their identifications to the shuttle pilot and boarded the little ship. Favoring the back seats, Shepard dropped her back on the seat next to her and sat in her chair.

The trip to Illium took a few days since all the mass relays had been destroyed. The shuttle was equipped with an FTL drive, which allowed it to travel through the galaxy quickly, but it was still ten times slower than with the relays.

Shepard had slept through most of the trip. The pills she was on were making her feel tired most of the time, but since the doctors had insisted, she had to take them at least twice every day for another month.

She glanced at her new leg, still unhappy about having a robotic part on her body. She wasn’t complaining about it anymore since it allowed her to walk around freely. She wondered how Liara would react at the sight of it, is she still going to love her as much as she did before the Citadel incident?

“We’re gonna land on Illium in thirty-five minutes,” announced the pilot through the ship’s comms.

Yes, Shepard told herself, Liara would still love her. The asari wasn’t the type of person to care only about her partner’s appearance after all.

* * *

 

Liara’s day had started the same way all the others did; she got up from bed after yet another restless night, made herself a good asari coffee and went to her computers to monitor her agent's activities.

The Reapers’ destruction of many worlds in the Milky Way had left her information network in disarray. In the past month since Shepard’s death, she had had to recruit many agents to replace the dead ones. Ever since she had taken control of the Shadow Broker’s operations, she had done a lot of good things for the galaxy, and she was not ready to let it die.

She rubbed her tired eyes with her fingers and looked at the clock on the desk. She was frustrated by her lack of sleep. She had tried everything, pills, booze, but nothing helped her sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was Shepard’s corpse.

That brought pain to her heart, no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t stop having this image of Shepard in her mind.

A message alert on her computer screen yanked her out of her reverie. Liara opened it and sight in frustration as she read her agent’s report. The rebuilding effort of her network was going poorly, and that message didn’t do much to improve her sour mood.

Liara closed the screen and walked to her balcony, enjoying the fresh air stroking her face. Illium was a beautiful world just like her home planet. Thessia had once been a wonder, the homeworld of the asari species. It was filled with exotic wildlife and vegetations, but then the Reapers destroyed its cities, leaving the world in chaos.

The rebuilding process of Thessia had already begun, and she had diverted the few resources she had left to help. She had sent food to the refugees, blankets, and beds. It wasn’t much, she knew, but it was all she could do for the moment.

She took a sip of coffee, the sweet taste in her mouth helped awake her senses. It was during moments like this one that Liara missed Shepard the most. Yes, they had shared a lot of precious memories together, but they were all during moments of war or during two missions.

A knock on the door disturbed her thoughts, and she went back into her loft, curious about who the visitor could be. It wasn’t Joker of that she was sure, but who else could it be? No one else knew where she lived.

When she opened the door, she didn’t expect to see Shepard waiting on the other side. Her heart missed a beat, her eyes widened, and she dropped the cup of coffee to the ground. It shattered into dozens of pieces, spilling coffee everywhere.

“Shepard?” she asked, using the wall for support.

Her legs felt week, her throat tighten, and her heart raced in her chest. Was she hallucinating? How could Jane be on her doorstep, she was dead?

“Hi Liara, it’s good to see you,” Shepard answered, a smile plastered on her lips.

“By the Goddess, how are you still alive?” asked Liara.

Shepard walked into the room, motioned for Liara to sit next to her. She spent the next hour telling how the medics had found her, and how they had saved her life. The asari listened closely to Shepard’s story, interrupting at times to ask questions or to offer Jane a drink.

“I’m glad to see you, Shepard,” murmured Liara in Jane’s ear.

They were now sitting on the couch, with Liara’s arms wrapped around the Commander, her head resting on the human’s shoulder. She was careful not to hug Shepard too tightly; her body was still recovering from a violent, traumatic experience.

Liara passed one hand on Jane’s prosthetic leg, feeling the cold metal moving under her fingers. She knew how Shepard felt about the new leg, but truth be told, Liara thought that it made her look even more badass.

They remained like this for many long minutes, hugging and listening to the constant flow of traffic outside the loft until a message notification popped on Liara’s computer screen. The asari reluctantly got to her feet and walked to her terminal.

She pressed on the message icon with her index finger and noticed that the report was tagged as urgent. One of her agents had been patrolling at the edge of the Milky Way, looking for potential threats to their fragile galaxy, and he apparently found something big.

“Oh no!” she gasped when she finished reading the message.

“What’s wrong?” asked Shepard, springing to her feet.

“It appears that there is still one Reaper alive!”


	2. Revelations

Shepard’s heart pounded hard in her chest as the news sank in. How could one Reaper survive? The Star Child had told her that it would eradicate them all, had he lied? If one of them had survived, how many others could still be out there?

Her legs felt uneasy, and she sat on the nearest chair she could find. When she woke up in that hospital orbiting above the Earth, she thought the nightmare was over, that it was all far behind her. Liara peered over her shoulder and looked at Shepard, her brow furrowed in concern.

“Shepard? Are you okay?” she asked, her voice filled with concerns.

The asari walked to the table and sat next to the Commander, putting a reassuring hand on her lap. That seemed to relax Shepard slightly but not entirely, the human was now breathing hard, and her torso was rocking back and forth. Liara had seen Shepard during her times of distress, so she knew that the human only needed some time alone to regain her composure.

But, when she got up and prepared to give Shepard some privacy, she felt a powerful hand grabbing her arm, stopping her in her tracks. When Liara looked down, she saw that Jane was staring at her.

“Don’t go Liara! I’ve been alone enough already,” the Commander said, her voice breaking up.

The asari regained her seat and gave a glass of water to Shepard. She waited and watched as Jane drank the cold water, then gave her a small cloth to dry her mouth. Liara couldn't even begin to imagine what Shepard was going through; she had already died twice after all. Shepard was strong, but she would forever be scared by the trauma she suffered on the Citadel, and there was little Liara could do to help her.

“I can’t believe that one of those wretched machines survived,” Shepard said, her gaze fixing on Liara. “ We have to find it and destroy it!”

“Are you sure it’s a wise Idea?” Liara asked. “I mean, you still need time to recover.”

Jane nodded, the fiery look in her eyes dimming only slightly. She knew she wouldn’t be of any help to anyone if she ran into danger while injured, that would be stupid and reckless. Plus, she’ll need to find her team and convince them to help her once again before facing the Reaper.

“Liara, what happened to the rest of the team?” she asked.

“They all went their separate ways. All I know is that Garrus went back to Palavan to help his people recover,” explained Liara.

Jane sighed, a little disappointed that Liara didn’t know where the others were. _At least we know Garrus’ location, that’s a good start._

“I’m sorry I don’t know more Shepard,” said Liara.

Shepard gave the asari’s arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze, silently telling her that she shouldn’t feel sorry about anything. Liara stared at the hand on her arm, she lowered her head and gave it a quick kiss. The skin felt warm and smooth on her lips, just like she remembered it.

They both looked at each other in silence for a long moment, before Liara sprang to her feet and sat on Shepard's lap, unable to wait any longer. It had been an awful month, and she needed to feel good, to feel Shepard’s body against hers, to taste the Commander’s sweet lips on hers.

They began exchanging hungry kisses, with Liara’s tongue darting inside Shepard’s mouth. The asari felt strong hands moving on her body; she felt them sliding on her stomach and reaching for her belt.

Liara hurriedly unbuttoned her jacket, revealing parts of her breasts. Shepard buried her mouth in her neck, and Liara rolled her head backward, giving Shepard full access to her neck and breasts. Jane took her in her strong arms and carried her to the couch.

She threw the asari on the sofa and hovered over her. Impatient, Liara took Shepard by the waist and shoved the human closer to her. Shepard trailed her lips along Liara’s neck, stopping at the base to nibble at the delicate flesh, causing the asari to moan loudly.

Liara’s omni-tool chimed loudly on the table it was lying on, alerting her that someone was trying to reach her on her personal line.

“Sorry, I got to take this!” she groaned, untangling herself away from Jane.

Shepard watched as the asari disappeared in the other room, frustrated to be interrupted by a phone call. She sat on the couch, trying to ignore the burning desire between her legs. She opened the TV, hoping to distract her mind with something, but when stumbled on a commercial showing exotic asari dancers on Omega, it made her feel even more aroused than anything else.

“Damn it!” she growled, closing the television in a hurry.

 

* * *

 

“Now is not a good time Kratus,” said Liara in her omni-tool.

Kratus was a Volus informant she had recruited a month ago, his knowledge of the criminal society was a great asset to her network. She had sent him to recover a valuable artifact from the black market, one that was worth a lot of money when sold to the right buyer.

“Then I’ll make this quick, Shadow Broker,” he replied. “We have a problem. The item you sent me to recover, it was stolen by an organization called, the Red Sky.”

Liara had never heard of this Red Sky group, and it troubled her. She needed the artifact; it would procure her enough money to reconstruct her network of spies.

“We need the item Kratus, you know what my buyer will do to us if we don’t deliver!” she reminded him.

“I understand Maam; I will do my best to track it down! But there is more.”

“What else do you have for me?” she asked.

“I found something that you’ll want to see. Meet me at the Eternity bar in one hour,” he said before ending the transmission.

Liara had a bad feeling about all this. Kratus would never ask her to meet unless it was an extreme emergency, and she had also heard a bit of fear in his voice, which was unusual. She sighed as she rebuttoned her jacket before rejoining Shepard.

Jane smiled at her when she sat back on the couch next to her; she was clearly hoping to continue what they were doing earlier. As much as Liara wanted to make love to Shepard, she still had to go to the bar to talk to her agent.

“Sorry, Jane, but I have to meet with an informer of mine at the Eternity bar,” she said, dodging Shepard’s kiss.

“Mind if I tag along?” Jane asked.

Liara nodded, and together they exited the loft and headed for the asari’s ship. The small grey vessel was cozier than the shuttle Shepard had taken to travel from Earth to Illium, it had cushy leather seats, and there was enough room for her to stretch her legs fully.

* * *

 

The thick cloud of smoke made Liara cough uncontrollably. The strong scent of alcohol and tobacco assaulted her nostrils, and she tried to block the odor by covering her nose with her right hand.

It didn't seem to bother Shepard however, as she made her way toward their assigned table, occasionally shoving drunk patrons out of her way. Kratus was already waiting for them, his back against the wall. He wore a sizeable dark hoodie, the kind which covered the entirety of his head, hiding his facial feature from curious eyes.

The Volus’ right hand disappeared under the table as Shepard sat next to Liara. Jane fixed her gaze on him, the way she looked at him made him shiver uncomfortably. He felt for the gun under the table, gently passing his fingers over it.

“Who is this?” Kratus asked, his head turning to face Liara.

Liara reached for the drink before her, smelled it and took a sip. She grimaced as the alcohol went down her throat, leaving a terrible burn in its wake. She coughed loudly and sat the drink back on the table, her eyes watering.

 Shepard was chuckling as she emptied her glass in one big gulp, savoring the taste the Brandy left in her mouth. When she placed the empty glass in front of her, a pistol appeared in her free hand, the muzzle aimed at the Volus.

“I would let go of the gun if I were you!” Jane ordered in a hard tone.

Liara looked at her in surprise; wondering how Shepard knew he had a gun. Was Kratus trying to betray her, or was he only being cautious?

“Gun! What gun?”

“Your friend right here has a hidden pistol strapped under the table. That’s why his hand so casually disappeared when he saw me,” explained Shepard.

The Volus grunted and reluctantly gave the pistol to Shepard, holding it from the muzzle. Jane took it and hid it under her shirt, holstering her own gun at the same time.

“I’m sorry boss, but I didn’t know you were bringing a friend,” he apologized to Liara, avoiding Shepard’s gaze.

“Just show me what you have so we can get out of that, outrageous place!” said the asari.

Kratus nodded and plunged his hand into his coat, searching for the small cylindrical device he had stolen from the Red Sky gang. He placed it before Liara, its metallic frame shining under the light.

T’Soni took it in her hands; she was surprised by how light it felt in her palms. The device looked like an old, yet highly efficient memory card. She gave it to Jane so she could take a closer look and waited for her informer to speak.

“What you are holding, human, is a Reaper data card,” declared Kratus. “I bet there are lots of data on that baby!”

Shepard shoved the memory card in her coat’s pocket, her eyes darted left and right, making sure that no one was spying on them.

“Where did you get that?” quickly asked Liara.

“I snatched it from a Red Sky goon on Omega, figured it was important,” said Kratus, drinking his beer.

“What is the Red Sky?” Shepard asked, confused.

“They are a criminal organization who now control half of the black market.” He burped loudly as he finished his beer and Shepard had to cover her nose, his foul breath smelled like the inside of a toilet.

“But, why did they have a Reaper memory card?” asked Liara. The asari also had to cover her nose, the smell of her agent’s breath too much for her to endure.

Kratus shrugged, he was as clueless as she was. Perhaps the criminal organization wanted to sell the card, maybe they had other uses for it, who knew? All he knew for sure, was that they really wanted it back.

Liara gave her thanks to the Volus, paid him and waited until he was gone before turning to Shepard. Jane was already searching her pants’ pockets for her wallet as a waitress arrived at their table.

They paid her and then left the building, Liara visibly relieved to get away from the smells and smoke. The afternoon glow bathed the city in warm orange colors, reflecting on the hulls of the air taxis and private ships flying all around.

“So, what are you gonna do with this?” asked Shepard, taking the device out of her pocket and giving it to Liara.

The asari shook her head, she wasn’t sure what to do of that just yet, but she was curious to know what kind of data it contained. They boarded her ship and found a good traffic lane to join.

“I’m going to use my other computers on the Normandy to check the card,” said Liara.

To hear the name of her ship made Jane smile a little, anxious to see it once again. She had had many memories, good and bad, with this vessel. It had been her home for years, it was where she had shared her first kiss with Liara, and then her bed not long after.

* * *

 

“Welcome home Shepard!” said Liara as the ramp opened.

Jane’s heart was racing as she climbed the ramp and entered the Normandy. Everything was as she remembered, the smell, the constant humming of the computers, and even the air felt the same.

She ran her fingers along the wall as she walked, and she stopped in front of the memorial wall. Shepard looked at the names in silence, remembering those who had made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the galaxy. She felt a pain in her chest as she saw Anderson’s name under hers, and the memory of his death began to replay in her mind.

“Commander! How?” came a familiar voice from behind.

Shepard turned to see Joker leaning against the wall, a puzzled look on his face. He had a cane in his right hand, and he seemed more uneasy on his feet than usual. She walked toward him, extending a hand for him to shake.

“We thought you were dead!” he said, shaking her hand.

“Will take more than a bunch of machines to take me down!” she replied. “What’s with the cane?”

The man looked uncomfortably at Liara before turning back to Shepard. He turned around and motioned to the Commander to follow him to the bridge.

“We’ve had some troubles on our way to Illium. The kind that only results in gunfire and lots of screaming,” he began to explain as they walked. “After I dropped the last crew member, it was only Liara and me. So, when a pirate ship intercepted us, I got involved in a firefight and got hit in the right leg.”

“Liara then took me to the nearest hospital on Illium and got patched up.” Joker sat in his pilot chair with a sigh of relief.

“At least you saw some action,” Jane said, sitting in the copilot seat next to him. It felt nice to talk with one of her oldest crew member and friend.

Liara excused herself and told Shepard to meet with her in her room later, and exited the bridge. Jane watched her leave; her eyes drifted to the asari’s hips as she walked away. She felt a strong desire to follow Liara and finish what they had started in her apartment earlier.

She felt Joker’s burning gaze on her, and she turned her eyes away from of girlfriend’s butt. She heard the pilot chuckled softly as he entered orders into the Normandy’s flight computer.

“I bet you want to know where the others are?” he asked.

“Yeah, I would.” Shepard heard the ship’s engines coming online, and she felt a thrill in her.

“Well, I entered all their locations in the Galaxy Map, just pick a planet, and we’ll be on our way there.”

“I want you to take us to Palavan; I want to see Garrus first,” she ordered as she exited the bridge.

Joker nodded and took the ship in the air, avoiding oncoming traffic as he reached the planet’s upper atmosphere. The vessel shook as it reached space, the gravity compensators engaging almost automatically. _Home sweet home._

 

* * *

 

Liara’s room was an utter mess; clothes were lying everywhere on the ground, and every piece of furniture was covered in dust. The asari was already on the computers, running analysis of the Reaper data card they had recently acquired.

“Got anything interesting on that thing?” asked Shepard.

Liara nodded and waved for her to come closer to the screen. The asari enhanced the image so that they could see the data clearly. When Liara touched the screen, a folder called Earth opened.

“This Reaper died during our attack on Earth, the images and videos we’re seeing are the last recordings it saved on the card,” explained Liara.

Jane leaned closer to watch the recordings, her shoulder accidentally touching with Liara’s.  It was only then that they both realized how extremely close to one another they were. Their noses rubbed together, and their mouths met.

The ship suddenly shook and threw them both to the ground, Liara landing on top of Jane, knocking the wind out of the human’s lungs. Shepard grunted when her bruised ribs began hurting again.

“What the hell Joker?” she yelled through the comms as she got back to her feet.

“Sorry Commander, but we have company! Remember those pirates I talk about earlier?” he asked.

“What about them?”

“Well, their friends just found us!” he said in a squeaky voice.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading the first chapter. I hope you like the story so far, more is coming pretty soon


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